Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 263 Night Attack
The atmosphere in the lobby of the Guiyang Governor's Mansion is solemn.
Qu Shisi, wearing a bright red official robe with a crane pattern, sits on the top. On his left are the current Governor-General of Guizhou, Fan Yan, the Provincial Governor Mi Shoutu, and other officials of the three departments of Guizhou Province, including the Provincial Surveillance Commissioner Zhang Yao. On his right are the current General of Guizhou Province, Zheng Wenxiong, and other generals of the Guizhou Army, including the Deputy General Xu Gao.
Qu Shisi flipped through the report in his hand with an angry look on his face. Finally, he slammed the report on the table and couldn't help but shouted coldly:

"They clearly abandoned the city and fled. You even said you were exhausted. You ruined my province's plan. You really deserve to die."

Qu Shisi and his party arrived in Guiyang in early February. With Qu Shisi as the Prime Minister and a large army accompanying them, they took over the power of the province smoothly.
Your province is facing two problems now. One is the rebellion of Sha Dingzhou in Yunnan Province. The situation in Yunnan Province is complicated. No one can tell how far the rebellion in Yunnan Province has progressed.

According to the rough news, even the provincial capital Kunming has been occupied by the rebels. This shows that the situation in Yunnan Province is not good.

The second is the sudden intelligence from Sichuan and Shu that the Western bandit Zhang Xianzhong was dead, and the remaining Western bandits were very likely to flee into Guizhou, and the Qing invaders were also very likely to follow closely. Once these two parties successfully entered Guizhou, Guizhou Province would surely be in chaos.
Facing this situation, Qu Shisi made two arrangements. After arriving in Guiyang, Qu Shisi immediately sent 3,000 Guizhou soldiers to garrison Bijie. Bijie is located at the junction of Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan provinces and is one of the main roads from Yunnan to Guizhou.
Qu Shisi sent people to guard this place, not only to prevent the Yunnan rebels from rushing into Guizhou, but also to prevent the rebels from Sichuan from entering Yunnan.

Yunnan Province is already in chaos. If the Qing army from Sichuan Province is allowed to enter Yunnan and connect with Sha Dingzhou in Yunnan Province, the situation will become even worse.
After Bijie was secured, Qu Shisi dispatched more than 4,000 troops from Pi Xiong's army, the general of Guizhou Province, who was originally stationed in Guiyang, to guard Wujiang Pass.

The Wujiang River runs through Sichuan and Guizhou. If we defend the Wujiang Pass, we can stop the Western Army from entering Guizhou Province.

Qu Shisi and Zheng Wenxiong led the remaining 7,000 Gui troops to guard Guiyang, ready to support the two places at any time.
After securing these two important locations, Qu Shisi began to follow the imperial court's order and sent people to Sichuan Province to recruit the remaining Western Army troops to surrender.
Qu Shisi's arrangement was supposed to be foolproof, but who would have thought that Pi Xiong had sent back a message a few days ago saying that Wujiang was peaceful, but today he suddenly reported that Wujiang Pass had been lost.

This Pi Xiong said in his report that more than 10,000 main forces of the Western Army had advanced, and he was defeated in a fierce battle, so he had to retreat. However, Qu Shisi did not believe a word of it.

After Pi Xiong lost Wujiang Pass, he retreated directly to Kaizhou in the east. If he was really defeated, why didn't he return to Guiyang?

This bear clearly abandoned the city and fled. He was afraid of being punished by the court, so he was too guilty to come back.

"As for those Western bandits, I originally reported to the court that these Western bandits cannot be trusted. Now it seems that, as I said, these Western bandits are hard to change and should be strangled directly."

Qu Shisi's face was gloomy. If Wujiang Pass was lost, the Western bandits could march straight into Guiyang.
Guiyang and Wujiang Pass, as well as Zazuo and Shuidong, should have been able to resist step by step, but Qu Shisi had no idea how many troops the Western Army had, and he did not dare to divide his troops to defend them.

Pi Xiong's abandonment of Wujiang Pass has made the situation in your province extremely passive.

Zheng Wenxiong looked at Qu Shisi, who had a gloomy expression on his face, and after a moment's thought, he said in a deep voice:
"Don't worry too much, sir. We still have 7,000 soldiers. Guiyang's defenses are strong, and a large amount of food and grass has been stored in the city in advance. Even if a hundred thousand rebels attack, I have the confidence to defend Guiyang."

Hearing this, Qu Shisi's expression eased a little. Guizhou Province is a small province with many mountain chieftains. Guiyang is almost the essence of Guizhou Province. As long as they hold on to this place, the situation in Guizhou Province will not collapse completely.
Qu Shisi thought for a moment, then looked at Fan Yan and others below.

"Governor Fan, you must lead all the staff of the three departments of your province to immediately prepare supplies for the defense of the city. At the same time, you must fortify the city walls and clear the fields, move all the people outside Guiyang into the city, and inform the people nearby to stay away from Guiyang. We must not let the Western bandits get any supplies near Guiyang."

After Fan Yan stood up and accepted the order, Qu Shisi looked at Zheng Wenxiong below and said

"General Zheng, send scouts out of the city immediately to find out the current location and number of the Western bandits. What Pi Xiong says may not be credible."

After receiving the order, everyone in the hall hurriedly dispersed to prepare. As the news of the Western bandits spread, the atmosphere in Guiyang City suddenly became tense.

Officials in Guiyang were busy preparing to defend the city, but by the morning of the third day, the Western Army had already arrived outside the city.
Under the city of Guiyang, 5,000 Western Army soldiers lined up. The Western Army scouts galloped around the city and found that Guiyang was well defended and had no loopholes. Then several cavalrymen rushed to the city.
The Western Army cavalrymen ran to the foot of the city wall and shouted to the top of the city wall:

"Listen, Ming soldiers on the city wall. We are the vanguard of the Great Western Court. Your provincial generals have been wiped out by our Eastern and Western Courts. You have no more reinforcements."

"If the officials in the city know their destiny, they should quickly open the city and surrender. Daxi will also reward you generously. If you dare to resist, after the city is captured, no one will be left alive. You can take care of yourself."

"Someone, shoot them!"

Qu Shisi stood on the top of the city wall, listening to the shouts of the cavalrymen below, but his face was gloomy, and he was about to order people to shoot the soldiers below the city wall.
These thugs keep talking about the Great Western Court. How dare a bunch of thieves presumptuously claim the title of emperor? It is really outrageous.

To Qu Shisi, there is only one imperial court in the world, and that is the Ming Dynasty. All others are traitors.
Qu Shisi didn't even want to talk to this big bandit, he just ordered people to shoot him.
The guard beside Qu Shisi was about to go down to pass on the order, but was suddenly stopped by Zheng Wenxiong.

Zheng Wenxiong looked at the soldiers under the city, thought for a moment, and then said

"The military scouts reported that the Western bandits who entered your city this time seem to be only this group of people, and there is no other army behind them."

"There are 7,000 troops in my city, and this group of people is no more than 5,000 or 6,000. How dare they rush straight to the city? These Western bandits are very likely unaware that our Gui army is in the city. I think we might as well show our weakness to the bandits at this time."

A sharp light flashed in Zheng Wenxiong's eyes. His guess was not groundless. Zhang Xianzhong died and the Western Army was in chaos, so they fled to Bozhou. These fugitives certainly had no time to inquire about the situation in your province.

Their troops have only been in the province for more than a month. Combined with the fact that they rashly marched into the city, Zheng Wenxiong was 70% sure that these people did not know the details of the city.
After hearing Zheng Wenxiong's low voice report, Qu Shisi thought for a moment, and finally stopped the personal soldier who was delivering the message.

The Western Army cavalry shouted several times from the bottom of the city. Seeing that there was no movement on the top of the city, they became bolder and began to shout back and forth around the city.
The Western Army cavalrymen circled the city, shouted again, and then leisurely returned to the army formation.
Not long after the Western Army cavalry returned, dozens of cattle and sheep suddenly fell from the top of the city wall, followed by rice, grain, wine, meat and other items.
After all the supplies on the top of the city wall were dropped, several hanging frames fell from the top of the city wall, and seven or eight soldiers fell from the top of the city wall. Then these soldiers pushed the cart with wine and meat, escorted a blue-robed official, and marched towards the Western Army in the distance.

In the Western Army camp, Imperial Censor Yao Duan was quickly brought into the camp by the soldiers.

Yao Duan looked at the burly He Jiuyi above him, bowed his hands, and said

"I am Yao Duan, the military inspector of Guizhou. I am honored to meet General He."

"Don't be so long-winded. What are the people in the city thinking about? When are they going to open the city and surrender?"

He Jiuyi's tone was arrogant, but Yao Duan was not angry. Yao Duan ignored the words of surrender and said, "My Great Ming once sent the Imperial Censor Wu Ziqi to the Western Army camp to discuss the matter of pacification, but there is still no news. May I ask, General, has the Western Army seen the Imperial Censor Wu?"

"Yes, that Wu has indeed joined our army and is now being held in our Daxi Army."

He Jiuyi looked casual, but Yao Duan confirmed that Wu Ziqi had indeed arrived at the Western Army, and his face became serious. He said

"The Western Army has fled all the way from Sichuan Province, and their troops are exhausted. Our Great Ming sincerely enters the camp to recruit them and grants them the fifth rank of nobility. We are also willing to provide you with food, wages and a place to stay."

"The Western Army first detained our Ming envoys, and then took advantage of our Ming unpreparedness to attack your province. I'm afraid this is against etiquette."

He Jiuyi looked at the official in blue robe and sneered.

"Appease? My Great Western Empire has long been established in Sichuan and Shu. What qualifications do you have to appease us?"

"As for why we attacked your province, you Ming court officials are corrupt and rampant, making life miserable for the people. I, Daxi, now want to seize your Daming Prefecture and county cities. What can you do to me?"

Yao Duan heard what He Jiuyi said, and seemed to be irritated by He Jiuyi. His face was full of anger, and he said

"My Great Ming also has tens of thousands of soldiers in your province. Your Western Army is so aggressive. Are you really ready to fight to the death with my Great Ming?"

"Tens of thousands of troops, right? Then send your tens of thousands of troops here quickly."

"Your provincial general is weak in combat. I haven't had enough fun yet, so send him here so I can kill him to my heart's content!"

Yao Duan looked at He Jiuyi with a savage look, his face flushed, as if he was irritated by He Jiuyi. However, Yao Duan suddenly realized that He Jiuyi really didn't know that the Gui army had arrived in the city, otherwise he would never be so arrogant.
He Jiuyi looked at Yao Duan, whose face was changing from green to red, and sneered in his heart. These Ming officials always liked to bluff.
There are tens of thousands of troops. Even Pi Xiong, the general of Guizhou, has only 4,000 troops. Could it be that the troops of other places in your province are more numerous than the army of the general of the province?
They had also been fighting the Ming army in Sichuan for several years. If Guizhou had such a large army, the Ming court would have sent troops to Sichuan to encircle and suppress them.

According to He Jiuyi's estimation, Pi Xiong's 4,000 to 5,000 men are probably the available military force of your province.

The Ming court deployed its troops to the Wujiang Pass, thinking that they could rest easy by holding the Dajiang Pass, but they never expected that they would be defeated in one battle.

After He Jiuyi defeated Pi Xiong, he continued to advance along the way, but did not encounter any resistance. This made He Jiuyi more certain that the province was short of troops at this time.
But then again, if the Ming army were all like those under Pi Xiong, even if there were tens of thousands of them, what would he be afraid of?
He Jiuyi sat in the middle of the big tent, looking down at Yao Duan who was standing below.

Yao Duan was silent for a moment, and then he seemed to suppress the shame and anger in his heart. He straightened his face and spoke in a deep voice.
"General He, the commander of the Western Army, Zhang Xianzhong, has been killed by the Qing invaders. You and I both know that the so-called Western Dynasty no longer exists."

"My Great Ming has always valued military officials. If such a hero as the general is willing to surrender to the court, my Great Ming is willing to grant him the title of marquis. In this way, the general can also bring honor to his ancestors and be famous in front of people, and the people of my province can also avoid a massacre. Isn't it the best of both worlds?"

He Jiuyi's face turned cold when he heard this. As General Pingdong had guessed, the Ming court had actually found out the news of the old emperor's death.
The Ming court sent people to the Western Army at this time, just to take advantage of the Western Army's lack of leadership and completely split up their Western Army brothers. The Ming court was indeed malicious.

"Although the old man was plotted against by the Tartars, our Western Army has already elected the prince as their leader. Our Great Western Dynasty is now in harmony with each other, and you, the incompetent officials, cannot sow discord between us. How dare a bunch of defeated generals recruit our Great Western heroes!"

He Jiuyi looked at Yao Duan who was still trying to persuade him, and he lost his patience at this moment. The Ming court first threatened him with tens of thousands of troops, but when the threat failed, they began to confer titles to win him over.

When the Ming court came to the army to recruit them, the four generals were only given the title of marquis. Now that the situation is urgent, even he was offered the price of being a marquis. It can be seen that the Ming court really has no power to resist.
He Jiuyi thought of this and said coldly
"Go back and tell that Lord Qu that I will give him three days. If he still doesn't open the gates and surrender within three days, I will attack the city immediately."

"If you force me to take action, once I enter the city, all of you dog officials will die."

He Jiuyi slammed the table and shouted coldly
He Jiuyi saw the panic on Yao Duan's face and felt more satisfied. They had been bandit-riding in the Central Plains before and had experience with this.
There is no need to reason with the civil servants of the Ming Dynasty. Just put a knife on their necks and they will kneel down.

He Jiuyi was not too arrogant in giving the city three days. They had marched all the way here without any siege equipment, so they could use the days of waiting to build siege equipment.

Of course, it would be best if the city finally surrendered.

He Jiuyi looked at Yao Duan, who looked pale, and shouted coldly
"Also, have the city send another 100 cattle and sheep, and 100 shi of grain and grass. Do this every day from now on. If it's not enough, I will attack the city immediately."

He Jiuyi didn't wait for Yao Duan to argue. He waved his hand and the guards beside him came forward and dragged Yao Duan out of the tent.
Yao Duan was quickly sent back to the city. Not long after Yao Duan entered the city, cattle, sheep, wine and meat fell from the top of the city again. Carts of rice, grain, wine and meat were once again pushed into the Western Army camp.

He Jiuyi felt more at ease when he saw the wine and meat being delivered.
He Jiuyi sent cavalry scouts to the rear to guard against the remnants of Pi Xiong and other soldiers who disappeared after the rout. Then he ordered the Western Army to hastily dig a camp outside the city and began to enjoy the wine and food sent from the city.

At midnight, the surroundings were quiet. Under the silvery moonlight, the west gate of Guiyang City slowly opened. Then, a thousand cavalrymen and two thousand soldiers suddenly filed out of the gate and rushed straight to the Western Army camp outside the north gate in the night.
Although He Jiuyi also arranged soldiers to guard the city, the Western Army saw that the city had been sending wine and food one after another, and no one took the Ming army in the city seriously.
Zheng Wenxiong led a thousand cavalrymen into the camp first, and the Western Army camp was immediately in chaos. As the follow-up 2,000 infantrymen arrived, the Western Army camp was finally completely disorganized.

The camp of the Western Army was filled with fire and shouts of killing. These 3,000 Gui troops were elite troops raised after the confiscated Chen Bangfu's wealth and the entire Guangxi Province's military equipment. They would not be at a disadvantage even if they fought the Western Army head-on. At this time, the army suddenly attacked, and the Western Army had no power to resist at all.

He Jiuyi had eaten meat and wine at night and fell asleep early. At this time, the Ming army suddenly attacked the camp. Before He Jiuyi could react, Zheng Wenxiong broke into the main tent and caught him red-handed.
In the early morning, groups of Western Army soldiers were dejected and escorted out of the camp with their hands tied. The camp was littered with burning remains and corpses.
At the gate of Guiyang, Yao Duan was busy receiving the surrendered soldiers outside the city. Yao Duan looked at He Jiuyi, who was being escorted into the city in his inner clothes and with disheveled hair, and smiled softly.

"I told the general at that time that my Ming Dynasty had tens of thousands of soldiers in your province. Do you believe it now?"

He Jiuyi looked at Yao Duan who was smiling in front of him, but his face was filled with shame and anger. He kept struggling, but at this time He Jiuyi was tied up tightly, and even his mouth was stuffed with a cloth, so he couldn't move at all.
He Jiuyi's eyes widened, and he roared incoherently a few times, but he was soon taken into the city by the soldiers and disappeared.
(End of this chapter)